Q+A: STEPHANIE BENOIT-KURTZ:

Cybersecurity boss’s prediction: Working from home is here to stay

Stephanie Benoit-Kurtz, cybersecurity director for Station Casinos, poses outside the corporate headquarters in Summerlin Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020.

Stephanie Benoit-Kurtz, director of cybersecurity at Station Casinos, started working in IT when she was still a high school student in Las Vegas.

She’s passionate about seeing the community thrive through the educational advancement of fellow locals.

“Students of today are the future of tomorrow,” she said. “The gap of technology professionals can be filled if the those in the industry invest in our youth and in Las Vegas we grow our own.

“When I visit high schools, it breaks my heart to see senior classroom chalkboards filled with the names of students aligned with acceptance to colleges outside the state. Once these students leave, it is hard to get them back in a community that so desperately needs their skills and talent.”

To that end, Benoit-Kurtz promotes programs like IT Works and Punch Code, and teaches at the University of Phoenix.

What is your management style?

Servant leadership. I really do believe that you hire individuals to mentor and train, but that at the end of the day, you work for them to enable what is possible. It is my job to remove roadblocks, provide needed resources and get out of the way. My employees will tell you I am tough, because the expectation for results within my teams is high. However, for those who are interested in learning, achieving and creating their next story, it works well. I have managed hundreds of employees over 30 years in the industry, and most will tell you it was an experience that provided opportunity to grow professionally.

Is there a specific background or skill set you look for when hiring people?

Passion is the No. 1 skill set. I look for diverse individuals who have the passion and some of the skills required. I am known to have a very diverse team balance of difference backgrounds, ethnicities and disabilities. If you have the passion and are willing to learn every day you come to work, the skills, certifications and other required knowledge will come. Technology in general, and cybersecurity specifically, change so quickly that what you thought was current today is different tomorrow. The capacity to be a lifetime learner is a critical skill to go with the passion of enjoying a great challenge.

What is the biggest change seen in cybersecurity in recent years and what’s currently trending?

COVID-19 has certainly created some additional security challenges, with the acceleration of threats coming from pretty much everywhere. Employees becoming remote workers provides some additional challenges on how to keep the environment secure. Another big change is how bad actors have modified their approach to target organizations and data. With new breaches come new regulations that require new operational processes and controls. Between ransomware and the exfiltration of private personal data, organizations have to be hyper vigilant on how they store, manage and maintain information. Depth in defense is really the name of the game. There is no such thing as 100% secure environments. The goal is to just make the environment as difficult as possible to gain access to systems and information. The harder it is, the more likely the bad actors will move on to another target.

With more people working from home, does that pose a risk for businesses and make them more prone to cyberattacks?

Absolutely there is more risk. Employees working from at home do not necessarily have the benefit of some of the layers of security that they had in the office. Since the shutdown happened so quickly in most states, few IT shops got a chance to send the workforce to remote worker status correctly. Now, IT is trying to play catch-up to plug all the holes, since the environment of working remotely is not going to change any time soon.

One of my 2021 predictions is that the workforce has been fundamentally changed by the pandemic. Employers are going into the new year looking for additional tools to monitor for productivity in the event that they are not going to bring a percentage of knowledge workers back to a physical location. Companies across the valley and across the country are looking at the overhead of empty buildings and investigating downsizing. With this, remote workers are prone to social engineering, phishing, smishing and other types of sophisticated attacks that can affect organizational security. The key is to continue to look for ways to secure the environment through the use of virtual private networks, end point security and multifactor authentication that can create that extra level of authentication necessary to connect to data and systems.

What is the best career advice you’ve received?

Always believe you can.

The table of technology professionals is generally filled with males. It took me a number of years to understand that I needed to sit at the table to be taken seriously. In my early twenties, I was looking for an invite to the table that never came. Now, not only do I pick my chair at the table but I help others find the courage necessary to sit at the table and engage in the conversation. IT is a field where everyone can succeed and everyone can contribute; it is a matter of encouraging those who are new and junior in the field to come to the table sooner.

If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

Once internet connectivity is where it needs to be for rural areas, I could see myself moving to 40 acres in rural Nevada, where I can see out, watch animals and still connect to do what I do.

What is something that people might not know about you?

I love to rock hunt. Nevada has just unlimited amounts of places to go rock hunting. To me it is almost like treasure hunting. You have an idea about where the items might be but you never really know what you will find until you find it. It’s a great way to enjoy being outdoors, and a wonderful excuse to play in the dirt.

Anything else you want to share?

For those in the IT or cybersecurity profession, or maybe just in general, remember to give back. The most valuable thing you have is your time, experiences and knowledge that you can share with others to make a difference. Find a few places to volunteer, sit on a board, help fundraise or just mentor a few who ask.

Enjoy everyday that comes your way and be passionate about what you do. Passion is contagious and will inspire others.

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